Jane Brody offers an informative review of the fascinating new book by critical care physician Dr. Laura Goitein, “The ICU Guide for Families: Understanding Intensive Care and How You Can Support Your Loved One, in the Jan 11, 2022 New York Times.
Dr. Goitein makes it clear that you don’t come out of a lengthy ICU stay with a life-threatening illness and jump back into tip-top shape. “Among those who required prolonged life support, only a minority go directly home after being discharged from the hospital….More than a third require long-term acute care…For patients who needed more than two days of mechanical ventilation in the ICU, family caregivers typically spend an average of more than five hours a day giving care during the first half-year after hospital discharge … Overcoming ICU-induced physical weakness can take several years, and regaining independence in activities of daily living, like getting dressed and preparing meals, can require fierce determination…”
And of course Dr. Goitein also writes, “It’s also important for families to know when ‘enough is enough.’” That’s the challenge that so many of us will eventually face. “For patients who have been on prolonged life support in the ICU, it can be very challenging for families to come to terms with their failure to improve and inability to wean them off the machines keeping them technically alive.”
Check out the book’s info at the publisher’s…